Mock simulaties voor de PLATO missie van ESA: verkenning van (supermassieve) stellaire objecten met de volgende op de ruimte gebaseerde fotometrische erfenis

This PhD project will work on bridging the payload development activities with the (core and complementary) science activities of the PLATO mission through a set of realistic simulations to be developed and performed with the PlatoSim software. The work will be done in close collaboration with experts in stellar variability, space-based instrumentation, and photometry at the Institute of Astronomy (IoA) of KU Leuven. Specific tasks are: • Get acquainted with the technical and scientific specifications of the PLATO mission, with a specific focus on the KU Leuven PLATO team activities concerning the payload and camera development. • Get acquainted with the PlatoSim software tool at the level sufficient for developing and executing sets of realistic simulations to support the payload and PLATO science teams. • Contribute to further development of PlatoSim in terms of implementation of relevant instrumental effects, if necessary. • Develop, perform, and interpret sets of simulations to support the needs of the PLATO scientific community as to assessing in a quantitative way the capabilities of the PLATO instrument for specific research areas.